


Out of Sync

by kaynibbler16



Category: A Discovery of Witches (TV), All Souls Trilogy - Deborah Harkness
Genre: F/M, It's just a one shot for now, This was one of my first fics for this fandom, but I may expand it into a larger fic someday
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-29
Updated: 2019-01-29
Packaged: 2019-10-18 14:24:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17582552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaynibbler16/pseuds/kaynibbler16
Summary: Diana thought her encounter with Ashmole 782 would be the strangest thing to happen to her that day. She was wrong.





	Out of Sync

Diana moved quickly away from the Bodleian Library, shaken from her encounter with the enchanted Ashmole 782 and what had to be a hallucination of her father.

“Dr. Bishop.”

She stopped at the sound her name and turned to face the speaker, the sensation of snowflakes on her skin telling her it was a vampire. He was tall and startling handsome with grey-green eyes. “Yes?”

“Might we have a word in private?”

“Sorry, but I’m in a hurry.”

The vampire smirked knowingly. “You planned to be there for several more hours until you opened that book. You have nowhere important to be for the next few hours, at least.”

Diana stared up at the man in shock. “How do you—”

“There is a café nearby that sells an excellent cup of tea.”

“Look, I don’t know who you think you are, but I’m not—”

“Professor Clairmont, but you can call me Matthew.” The vampire handed her his card. “And I know that you just opened an enchanted manuscript and ran into your own father, which would be impossible if not for the fact that he is a time walker, just like you.; or you will be, once you stop ignoring your magic.”

The world tilted as Diana absorbed Prof. Clairmont’s words. “How could you possibly know that?”

“I know that you have been hiding from your magic since your parents were killed in Nigeria, which makes it difficult to control. You fear that someone will see you using it and discover that you’re a witch.” His smiled sadly at her. “I also know that you’ve had horrible anxiety ever since that day and you exercise every day to keep it from overwhelming you.”

With a shake of her head, Diana started to back away. “Who the hell are you?”

“A… _friend_ ,” he paused, as if he wasn’t sure that was the word he wanted to use. “That manuscript, Ashmole 782, is much more than just an enchanted palimpsest. It’s the Book of Life and many creatures will do anything to get their hands on it, even if it means coming after the only person who’s seen it in one hundred and fifty years.”

“Are you one such creature?” Diana held her bag in front of her in a defensive gesture.

Matthew’s lips pursed into a thin line at her action. “I already know the secrets that book possesses because I have seen it for myself. Currently, it’s still missing three pages and the magic is broken, but that won’t stop other creatures from wanting to possess it. That means you’re in danger and I won’t let anyone hurt you to get to it.”

Diana almost gasped at Matthew’s suddenly fierce expression, his pupils dilating as his nostrils flared.

“Why do you care what happens to a witch?” The idea that a vampire would want to protect a witch was preposterous and she barely understood half of what this man was implying. “Don’t you hate me?”

The look Matthew gave her in that moment stole her breath away. “Never, mon coeu— _Diana_.”

She really shouldn’t believe a word he said, but something inside her told her that she could trust him.

“So, tea?”

**Author's Note:**

> Originally, I wasn't going to post this because I planned to expand it further at a future date, but I thought I would post it anyway. I still plan to write a longer/better version of this small ficlet in the future.   
> Spoiler for the plot: Diana meets Matthew the same way she did in canon, except he already knows her. Things happen the same until she needs to travel into the past, because he lets go just as they are about to travel to 1590 and she ends up in the past alone.


End file.
